Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

IDB funds Belize US$15 Million for 2nd Sustainable Tourism Program IIA year of consultation with Belize’s tourism professionals, property owners and investors about the industry’s needs culminated with the launch of the Sustainable Tourism Program II (STP2). The project will be funded with US$15 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with matching funds from the Government of Belize.
IDB officials joined representatives of the Belize Tourism Board, the Belize Tourism Industry Association, the Belize Hotel Association, the National Protected Areas System, the National Institute of Culture and History, along with officials from the Ministries of Tourism and Forestry and Fisheries and Sustainable Development for a three-day launch workshop at the Black Orchid Lodge in Burrell Boom on Tuesday through Thursday, March 8-10.
IDB natural resources specialist Michele Lemay explained that the IDB has been collaborating with Belize in the development of the tourism sector since 1998, and while STP1 had focused on prime destinations like Belize City and San Ignacio, this second program will now address the needs of other not so well developed destinations like Corozal, Toledo, Caracol and Caye Caulker.

Tropic Air gives back to Caye Caulker Cancer Support Group Tropic Air, The Airline of Belize, has announced the February results of its ongoing nationwide #TropicGivesBack charitable fundraising campaign. For every ticket bought at the month’s selected station, $1 will be donated to an organization chosen by our staff stationed in that community. In January, $500 was donated to the Dangriga Red Cross. February was the chosen month for Caye Caulker, with Belmopan scheduled for March and San Ignacio coming in April. As part of the airline’s largest charitable fundraiser of the year, Tropic Air business partners, staff and customers joined efforts and raised $400 for “Arms of Love”, a Caye Caulker cancer support group. Sergio Marin, Caye Caulker Station Manager and his Staff presented a check to Ms. Enelda Rosado from “Arms of Love” on Thursday, March 3rd.

Breaking the silence: Human trafficking expert holds workshop for local media correspondentsA full-day media workshop was held on Saturday, March 5th at the Institute for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ITVET) in Belize City. The workshop tackled subjects such as gender-based violence, recent jargon adjustments that reflect gender, femicide and variations of human trafficking. It was hosted under the Head of State and Government of the Central American Integration System (SICA) BA1 Project, and led by none-other by Anne-Marie Williams, director of the Women’s National Commission and a qualified advocate in the area of Trafficking.
Williams was the eighth Belizean to be selected for the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows Program, where she received graduate-level studies in the area of “Trafficking in Persons, Policy, and Prevention” at the American University Washington College of Law in Washington D.C. USA. In attendance were representatives from The San Pedro Sun, Love FM, Centaur TV 3, Krem Radio, Radio Turquesa 91.5, and PG TV.
This intensive workshop was organized in an effort to educate Belizean media correspondents in sensitizing their approaches when it deals with sensitive topics. One of the many media mistakes mentioned included victims’ oppression, or their identities are revealed, such as in cases of rape or incest.

Lutterloh Pattern System taught at SP House of CultureInvented in Germany around 1935, the Lutterloh Pattern-Making was created, and on Saturday March 5th, around 27 interested seamstresses and tailors, as well as hobby sewing enthusiasts were able to participate in a free class to learn the method.
Inside the San Pedro House of Culture, Frank Lutterloh walked interested attendees through the method of making their own patterns to be able to sew basic items from scratch. Custom-fit patterns were no longer the end product of years of study, as Lutterloh showed simple tricks and tips to creating patterns to follow on a sewing machine. Participants who attended one of the two afternoon classes learned to make two styles of vests and a collar and sleeve, which were then fitted on a volunteer so that they could see the final result.

BAHA issues advisory for Rabies and Blackleg for cattle farmersAll that delicious beef that meat lovers enjoy eating may be in jeopardy due to a disease affecting cattle countrywide. An advisory has been issued to all livestock producers, and it strongly recommends farmers to vaccinate their livestock against “Rabies and Blackleg” disease.
It has been an ongoing cattle disease threat throughout the country and thus, the Belize Agriculture Health Authority (BAHA) is advising that if farmers have not vaccinated their cattle in the last year against Rabies or against Blackleg in the last six months, they must do so now.
Beef is a common staple on Ambergris Caye and knowing a bit about these diseases that are affecting the suppliers of this delicacy is important for everyone. BAHA personnel have been visiting the main beef suppliers in the country to do inspections in order to avoid the disease from reaching your plates.

Misc Belizean Sources

Phoenix beach cleanupFor this week's beach clean up photo we went with a human Maya temple look. Props to folks on bottom using one hand.

Belize unveils climate-resilient tourism programThe ministry of tourism and civil aviation in Belize, in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), officially launched the Sustainable Tourism Program II in a kick-off workshop on March 8-10, 2016, in Burrell Boom Village. In October 2015, the IDB’s board of executive directors approved a US$15 million loan facility and, in January 2016, a loan agreement was executed between the IDB and the government of Belize for this new program.
Tourism continues to be one of Belize’s most important economic sectors, contributing 15 percent of total direct GDP and generating US$747 million in foreign exchange earnings in 2014. It also represents 35 percent of total exports of goods and service and contributes one out of every six jobs for the nation.
The first Sustainable Tourism Program (STP I) focused on consolidation of the destinations of Ambergris Caye, Placencia, Belize City and San Ignacio and generated the National Sustainable Tourism Master Plan 2030 (NTSMP).
Following the implementation of STP I in 2013, the government of Belize and the IDB collaborated on a second Sustainable Tourism Program (STP II), through an extensive planning process.

Sarteneja Easter RegattaSarteneja Village is coming alive this upcoming Easter Weekend. Lookout for Sunday March 27th. Everyone is invited. Enjoy and be safe!

Cayo Wins Festival of Arts CompetitionIt's Children's Month, and to celebrate, the Festival of Arts kicked off this week. Cayo was represented well...very well. Congratulations!
"Congratulations to the Cayo District for bringing in the Championship... Yaaah! You go girls."

Amandala

Abused San Pedro wife stabs husband to deathAn abusive relationship that has been festering for years between a couple in San Pedrito, San Pedro, came to a deadly end at the couple’s home at about 9:00 last night, Sunday, March 6. Police say that a woman stabbed her husband in the chest and abdomen with a butcher knife.
Rommel Benedicto Catzim, 35, a laborer of San Pedrito, San Pedro, was declared dead on the scene on the verandah of their house.
His wife, Alida Lily Borrayo Barrientos de Catzim, 45, was waiting for police at their house with their son, 5 years old, and when they arrived she handed herself over to them and also gave them the knife with which she had stabbed her husband.
Alida told police that she killed Rommel because she was tired of being beaten by him.
In an interview with Amandala yesterday morning, Assistant Superintendent Henry Jemmott, Commander of San Pedro Police, said that the couple was socializing in the yard of the apartment house in San Pedrito when the husband became aggressive and they became involved in an argument. Alida reportedly went upstairs to their flat, leaving Rommel, who was drinking.

Three San Pedro cops remanded for murderA San Pedro bartender, Edwin Ixpatac, 30, died after an alleged beat-down by three policemen while in lockdown at the San Pedro Police Station, San Pedro police say.
Police say that Ixpatac, who was intoxicated, was locked up in a cell for the night after an altercation with police, and that he was not taken to the San Pedro Polyclinic for medical attention after he was beaten. When a check was made on Ixpatac in the morning, however, he was unconscious. He was then rushed to the San Pedro Polyclinic, then to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) in a coma.
Ixpatac was put on life support in the KHMH’s Intensive Care Unit, where he died at about 4:00 Monday morning, less than 3 days after he had been beaten.
A post-mortem conducted on Ixpatac’s body by Dr. Mario Estradabran yesterday morning certified the cause of his death to be blunt force trauma to the head and abdomen.
The Police High Command ordered an immediate investigation into the death and arrested the three police officers and the supervisor who was on duty at the time of the incident, Sergeant Raymond Berry.

PUC approves 4% increase in electricity ratesOn January 22, 2016, the Belize Electricity Limited (BEL), a government-controlled utility, asked the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for an 11% increase in electricity tariffs—from 35 cents for each kilowatt-hour used to 39.04 cents. On Monday, PUC chairman, John Avery, issued an initial decision, instead approving a 4% increase.
Avery told the media at a press conference held on Wednesday afternoon that although BEL had asked the PUC to approve a higher mean electricity rate, the PUC had decided that the new rate should be 36.43 cents.
Although the mean rate is 35 cents per kilowatt-hour, various classes of customers pay different rates. For example, social rate customers pay as little as 20 cents per kilowatt-hour, but the proposed change would put that rate at 21 cents. Similarly, residential customers who use less than 50 kilowatt-hours would pay 29 cents as opposed to the current rate of 28 cents, if the proposed rates are implemented.
The new rates, if approved, would take effect on July 1. Whereas the benchmark tariff would be established for the period 2016-2020, the PUC reviews the rates annually and makes adjustments to the rates periodically, to more accurately reflect the true cost of power.

Gapi shocks UDP!The United Democratic Party (UDP) was hit with the political equivalent of a tsunami when the party secretariat issued a press release today confirming a rumor that the First Deputy Party Leader, Hon. Gaspar “Gapi” Vega, will not accept the nomination to continue in the post when the UDP holds its national convention in Dangriga on Sunday, March 20.
Hon. Vega, a three-time area representative for the Orange Walk North constituency and a powerhouse for the UDP in the north, has also informed his party that he will not be contesting his House of Representatives seat in the next general elections.
Hon. Vega communicated his decision to step down via a letter to UDP Leader and Prime Minister Dean Barrow on Tuesday, March 8.
A UDP Secretariat press release opens saying: “The United Democratic Party confirms that First Deputy Party Leader Hon Gaspar Vega has, by letter dated March 8, 2016, informed the Party of his decision not to stand again for his Orange Walk North seat in the next General Elections. Hon Vega has also said that in view of this early notification of his retirement from electoral politics at the end of the current term, he feels it is right that he not continue as First Deputy Party Leader of the UDP.”

In the Court of Appeal, pedophile gets a breakA Belize City man who is serving time for multiple sex offences appealed a 20-year prison sentence handed down by a Supreme Court trial judge after a jury convicted him of carnal knowledge against a six-year-old child in August 2014.
Last Wednesday, the Court of Appeal heard submissions in Appeal #15 of 2014, Brian Charlesworth v. The Queen.
Senior Crown Counsel Cecil Ramirez explained to the three Court of Appeal Justices, Hon. Justice Manuel Sosa, Madam Justice Minnet Hafiz-Betram, and Hon. Justice Murillo Ducill, that Charlesworth, who had served 8 years and 7 months of a 12-year sentence for carnal knowledge, had been released on parole when he committed the second carnal knowledge offense.
Attorney Oscar Selgado, who represented Charlesworth, argued that the 20-year sentence imposed by Justice John “Troadio” Gonzalez was too harsh, and that it would not take 20 years to rehabilitate him.
“If he is to remain in prison for 20 years, it would be an injustice to him,” Selgado submitted.

Money laundering a problem not just in Belize, but also in the US: State Department reportWhen Parliament meets on Tuesday, March 8, it will introduce further money laundering control measures—a clear sign that money laundering continues to be a concern within our jurisdiction. However, the just released International Narcotics Control Strategy Report for 2015 makes it clear that money laundering is not only a problem in our jurisdiction—in fact, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Taiwan are listed among over 60 countries which the US has designated as “major money laundering countries.”
“A major money laundering country is defined by statute as one ‘whose financial institutions engage in currency transactions involving significant amounts of proceeds from international narcotics trafficking.’ However, the complex nature of money laundering transactions today makes it difficult in many cases to distinguish the proceeds of narcotics trafficking from the proceeds of other serious crime,” said the report.
In explaining why countries like the US are also listed as major money laundering jurisdictions, the report said, “A government (e.g., the United States or the United Kingdom) can have comprehensive anti-money laundering laws on its books and conduct aggressive anti-money laundering enforcement efforts, but still be classified a major money laundering jurisdiction. In some cases, this classification may simply or largely be a function of the size and/or sophistication of the jurisdiction’s economy.”

Nadia, we need you now!It may be argued that the British have planet earth’s most successful and glorious record in warfare. But, it is the undeniable fact that, until May of 1940, the views of appeasing Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain represented the views of the British people. Although the history of the world is famously marked by “wars and rumors of wars,” even a warrior people can go to great lengths to avoid conflict and combat. That is what the British decided to do, go to great lengths to avoid conflict and combat, even after Adolf Hitler’s Germany began to prepare for another “world war” in the mid-1930s.
When the British came to the conclusion that their existence as a sovereign people was in mortal danger in World War II, a desperation set in amongst the British which led Great Britain to accept many of their “British subjects” into their fighting military. This had not been the case in World War I (1914-1918). Those men from British colonies and possessions who waged war for Britain against Germany between 1939 and 1945 included notable Belizeans, and some of these Belizeans paid the ultimate price.

Letter to the Editor: The Special Permit to DIEDear Editor,
The Ministry of Education recently made a big announcement that ALL TEACHERS better get their paper work in order, specifically their LICENCE. So they quickly put in place one more bureaucracy, a high-powered committee, to vet thousands of files, applications, and other various assortments of paper. I sympathize with the members of the new committee.
Wow! While our system melts under a 19th century philosophy of compliance, regulation and authority, our most creative act to deal with the nation builders (teachers) is to put one more boot on top of their necks and press down. In the video game “mortal combat” when the end is near, the voice declares, “Finish him!”
Here I am reminded of two “ancient” reports (a) Dr. Herbert Gayle’s comprehensive research on youth, 2010 and (b) the IDB report on challenges and opportunities in the Belize Education sector, 2013. Both reports make many recommendations, but my takeaway is that we need to put LOVE at the centre of our approach to learning and teaching, and to do this we must build from the ground up a dynamic system where CREATIVITY can flourish and TECHNOLOGY utilized.

Letter to the Editor: The Nicaragua and Costa Rica caseDear Editor:
I recently read an article on the above caption and felt that given the current climate in Belize in respect to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and its ruling – the Nicaragua and Costa Rica case provides a suitable background to Belize’s situation. The ongoing national discussions for or against going to the ICJ for a resolution on the Guatemala/Belize situation can be analyzed by your readership – should after your critical review of the published article you find that the article best describes the future of Belize. If you have seen the document before on the subject – I suggest you utilize the site for future information.
The recent ruling by the ICJ will not end the long-standing spat between Nicaragua and Costa Rica over the countries’ shared frontier. This was outlined by Business Monitor International (BMI) in regards to challenging economic dynamics and ongoing dispute over immigration policy; relations between the two countries are likely to remain poor in the years ahead (BMI 2016).

The PUP’s new parliamentary line-upFollowing his January 31, 2016 victory in the leadership convention for the Opposition People’s United Party, Orange Walk Central area representative, Hon. Johnny Briceño, has assumed the seat of former Opposition Leader Francis Fonseca in Parliament.
That was not the only change in the PUP’s parliamentary seating arrangement evident today—in fact, the change which drew commentary from the other side of the floor was the decision by Briceño to seat PUP Lake I area representative Cordel Hyde right next to him—a seat formerly occupied by immediate past leader, Rt. Hon. Said Musa, who was seated fourth in line today, with Fonseca being designated the third seat in the front row as immediate past leader of the PUP.
Of note is that Briceño and Hyde were two of seven members of the Musa Cabinet who in 2004 established a rival faction which briefly resigned in protest against the financial policies of the then administration after calling for reforms and the resignation of then finance minister Ralph Fonseca.

Opposition Leader says major exports “in trouble”The national budget debate is slated for Tuesday, March 22 and Wednesday, March 23—which gives the Opposition People’s United Party two weeks to prepare its statement on the budget proposal tabled by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dean Barrow in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Speaking with Amandala today, Opposition Leader Johnny Briceño said that he would be meeting tomorrow, Thursday, with agro-producers, and on Friday with the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Next week, he plans to meet separately with representatives of the trade unions and the churches. Briceño said that they also intend to hold their next public consultation in Cayo, at which they intend to discuss the proposed budget.
Briceño said that Belize’s major exports are in trouble: papaya is gone; sugar is in serious trouble; and citrus is in trouble, with production down from 7 million boxes a year to under 5 million, and the factory struggling to pay the farmers, he told us.
At Tuesday’s House meeting, the application by the Citrus Products of Belize Limited (CPBL) for a $10 million loan from Heritage Bank was raised. Barrow said that the bank had not yet received Central Bank approval but had gotten the green light to advance $3.5 million to the company. The Central Bank was due to meet this week to consider further submissions on the loan application.

Belize reefs fighting third coral-bleaching waveBelize’s majestic coral reef seascape is a cherished wonder that attracts nature lovers from home and abroad—but more than that, it is vital to the ecosystem diversity in this part of the Caribbean which serves as a pillar for many thriving industries, key among them being tourism and fisheries. A study released today indicates that Belize’s reef is being impacted by a third global coral-bleaching event.
Eli Romero, Conservation Officer for the Belize Audubon Society and chair of the National Coral Reef Network, conducted a monitoring study on coral bleaching in Belize, commissioned by the Healthy Reef Initiative, and he presented the preliminary results of that study at the Radisson today.
According to Romero, 25 sites were assessed in Belize between October and December 2015 as part of the Coral Bleaching Emergency Response monitoring plan, and it indicated that roughly 20% of sites in Belize are being affected to varying degrees, ranging from paling to full bleaching in at least a part of the coral colony.

Voter “pressure” a concern in Belize election reportDid Belize have free and fair elections in November 2015? If we did, then we can say that we are truly a democratically-run state; if we didn’t, though, our democracy has been compromised. Whereas the last election was generally peaceful, there were tensions leading up to election day with rival factions defacing campaign signs and threats made to the Chief Elections Officer, Josephine Tamai, and her family ahead of the elections, and there are allegations of blatant vote-buying, as noted by a team of observers deployed to Belize by the Organization of American States (OAS).
The team, led by Chief of Mission, Jacinth Henry-Martin, who is also the Chief of Staff to OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, began its mission in Belize on October 27, 2015, and presented its final report on Wednesday, March 9, 2016, to the Permanent Council of the OAS in Washington, DC, USA.
This was the second time the OAS has led election observer missions to Belize. The first OAS mission was conducted back in 2012. Still, there are lingering concerns—such as political operatives invading the 100-yard line, apparent vote-buying, the lack of campaign financing laws, as well as the need for more equity in size across electoral divisions.

Belize leads in 2016 Mesoamerican Eco-Audit In commemoration of Mesoamerican Reef Day 2016 and as a highlight of Reef Week, the 2016 Eco-Audit of the Mesoamerican Reef was launched this morning at the Radisson Fort George Hotel in Belize City. It was a particularly momentous occasion for Belize, which again leads with the best results in the audit and which also has the largest portion of the reef system under its national jurisdiction.
Roberto Pott, Belize coordinator for the Health Reef Initiative, which is responsible for coordinating the audit in collaboration with over 60 partners, pointed out that there has always been a debate and even criticism over the talk of a Mesoamerican reef as opposed to the Belize Barrier Reef. The Belize reef system enjoys international acclaim as the largest in the hemisphere and it has since 1996 been designated as a World Heritage Site.
However, its proximity to and connectedness with reefs in neighboring countries—namely Mexico in the north and Honduras and Guatemala in the south—underscores the need for a more regional approach to tackling threats to the reef.
“Some of these issues are trans-boundary; some of the nutrients that we see coming into our waters are coming from across the border and then we are starting to see fishers coming from across the border, so if we get our partners from across border lines to start dealing with the same issues, it will be in Belize’s interest,” Pott argued.

Man killed by home intruders in front of 4-year-oldDuane Logan, 48, of Independence, died after being shot during a home invasion by two armed men on Saturday, March 5, at approximately 7:40 p.m.
Assistant Superintendent of Police, Reymundo Reyes, Officer in Charge of Independence police, told Amandala that Logan was “accosted” by two masked men who were dressed in dark clothing as he opened the door to his home. The two men then took him inside.
According to Reyes, one of the men had a pump action shotgun, while the other had a machete.
When they got inside, the man with the machete took Logan’s common-law wife, Donavet Burgess, 26, into an adjacent bedroom, where she handed over money to the intruder, Reyes said. The intruders reportedly also wanted marijuana, we were told.

BPP and BTV protest Barrow government’s weak-kneed response to Guatemalan incursionsBetween 75 and 100 spirited and patriotic Belizeans protested outside the National Assembly Building in Belmopan this morning, greeting arriving parliamentarians with shouts of “No to the ICJ” as they made their way into the House of Representatives for Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s budget presentation.
The protest was organized by the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV) and the Belize Progressive Party (BPP), which have been castigating the Barrow government for its soft approach to the continuing incursion of Guatemalans in the southern villages of Belize and the Guatemalan Navy’s continued violation of Belize’s territorial integrity.
A considerable portion of the protesters were Mayan villagers from the Toledo District.
The most recent incident of Guatemala’s violation of Belize territorial integrity occurred ten days ago when members of the BTV were blocked by Guatemalan Navy boats from proceeding up the Sarstoon River, in Belize territory, to the Belize border marker at Gracias a Dios.

Barrow’s 9th budget calls for $1.15 billion in spendingPrime Minister and Minister of Finance Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow presented his 9th national budget in Parliament today, announcing that 12,000 public officers and teachers will this year receive their third consecutive salary adjustment, bringing the total received since 2014 to almost 25%—a figure which Barrow said “by any measure and in comparison with any country anywhere is absolutely spectacular.”
He announced that a placeholder of $20 million is being included in the draft budget to help pay for the salary increase, which, according to figures presented in the budget tables, will push the wage bill past $400 million, out of a total budget of $1,151,104,349.
He explained that “under the salary adjustment framework that this Government agreed with the unions in February 2013, pay raises for the public officers and teachers are triggered by increases in the actual recurrent revenue outturns between two successive fiscal years. In the past two time periods, salary adjustments of 6 and 8 percent respectively were implemented [and] given the preliminary numbers available so far, there is likely to be a further increase under the framework—albeit at more moderate levels than in the past two years.”
He added that, “The actual percentage increase will be determined using the framework agreed with the unions once the final revenue outturn figures are known.”

Jair Guerra, 35, arraigned for chopping wife to deathToday, Jair Jeremias Guerra was arraigned in the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court for the murder of Maria Candelaria Raymundo, mother of seven children, ages 13 to 28, which occurred in the early morning of Friday, March 4.
Guerra, 35, and Raymundo, 45, had no children together and lived with another couple and their two children in the same house. Her youngest child is 13, and the two youngest live with their father. The other children live elsewhere.
Belmopan police said that in response to a call of a domestic dispute at approximately 5:52 a.m. on Friday, March 4, they visited the premises of 10 Panama Street, Salvapan, Belmopan, there police saw Raymundo “lying face down, her face was bloody and she was suffering from chop wounds on the left side of her neck and on the right side of her face.”
Reveca Ventura, 37, who lives in the same house as the victim, told Amandala that on Friday morning at approximately 5:15 a.m., her common-law husband, Carlos Milian, 35, left to go to work. Shortly thereafter she heard Guerra, Raymundo’s common-law husband, beating her in their bedroom.

The Reporter

Beach rehabilitation in Caye CaulkerThe Ministry of Tourism and Culture along with the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) collaborated to rehabilitate a stretch of beach in Caye Caulker opened to the public on March 12 2016. Minister of Tourism, Manuel Heredia, stated that the project took five months to be […]

Embassy of Japan gives donation to Belize High School of AgricultureThe Belize High School of Agriculture (BHSA) received a grant of $90,804.00 om Friday from the Embassy of Japan to construct two new classes. The school, which caters to 233 students, is facing overcrowding issues, and the grant is ezpected to assist with alleviating that […]

“No charges for now” against Alida Catzim
Police have announced that Alida Barrientos de Catzim, accused of stabbing her husband Romel Catzim to death following an argument at their San Pedro Town home, will not face charges – for now. Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl-Lynn Vidal recommended not prosecuting the case […]

NEBL results are in, the action continues tonight
In National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) action on Thursday night, the Belize City No Limits travelled to Belmopan to challenge the Belmopan Bandits. The Bandits won the game with the final score, 81-70. Last night it all went down in San Ignacio and Belize City. […]

Warm conditions prevail
The National Meteorological Service of Belize is calling for a gusty and southeasterly airflow. This airflow will support warm and relatively unstable conditions over our area. The 24 hour forecast is for sunny skies with some cloudy spells today and mostly cloudy tonight. A few showers […]

A March Friday On Ambergris Caye: WIND, Jet Lag and Our Coral ReefThe “Easter Winds” are BLOWING over Ambergris Caye, Belize. There has been a small craft warning in effect for most of this week and it continues today. You can hear the waves roaring over the reef and the water is all churned up, making things like diving and snorkeling impossible but others, like kite boarding and wind surfing amazing. Or so I’m told.
The beach looks beautiful but you definitely get a heavy dusting of sand sitting anywhere near it.
By sunset, I headed up to The Truck Stop for a presentation for Reef Week by the fabulous Mar Alliance – a group headed by Dr. Rachel Graham that is working to protect the large fish/marine life of Belize and the world.

A superb wedding on a private island in Belize! at Cayo EspantoThere are not many things I would like to say about Meagan & James special day… as I really want my photos to speak for it… Was magical and exceeded my clients expectations.. from funny moments before ceremony, with inside jokes and lots of love.. the ceremony was filled of emotions… when you have your family with you and you share those moments… is everything you ever wanted… this day will remain in their memories as one of the best.
The location, Cayo Espanto, is world’s finest private island where everything is what you expect, and more. I am very proud to be considered part of their team and I am always doing my very best for my clients as, you might already know… my clients become my friends.
The Hairstylist for my beautiful bride was Felix Ayuso and he definitely did a wonderful job!
Was a pleasure and an honour to be such a part of your day! Thank you!
Enjoy!

International Sources

President Ma to leave for Central America SundayPresident Ma of Taiwan is set to visit Belize next week... President Ma Ying-jeou will depart Sunday on a seven-day visit to two of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Central America, his last overseas trip before leaving office in May.
Ma is scheduled to arrive in Guatemala on March 14 after a transit stop in the U.S. city of Houston. Then on March 16, he will head to Belize, and is scheduled to leave the country on March 17. On his way back, he will make another stopover in the U.S., this time in Los Angeles, before returning to Taiwan on March 19.
During his transit stop in Houston, Ma is expected to meet with several U.S. congressmen and visit a plant of the Formosa Plastics Group (FPG), Taiwan's largest investment in the United States. During his stay in Belize, Ma will meet with Belizean Prime Minister Dean Barrow and government heads of three of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in the Caribbean -- Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Timothy Harris, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, and Saint Lucia Prime Minister Kenny Anthony.

NMSU students travel to Belize to study arthropodsStudents in the New Mexico State University College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences will travel to Belize for 10 days in March to study arthropods.
The 10 students are enrolled in the tropical insect ecology course with Scott Bundy, who is an entomology professor in the Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science.
“The students will compare the diversity of arthropods in a different habitat,” Bundy said. “I will also be teaching them how to sample insects in various habitats.”
Bundy, who is also the director of the NMSU Arthropod Museum, is preparing the students by providing them with lectures regarding Belize’s people, history and habitat.
“There is so much history in Belize,” Bundy said. “The students will appreciate the country so much more if they know about it before they make the trip.”
In addition to learning about arthropods, the students will have the opportunity to see a Mayan ruin, a cave, the coast, a jaguar preserve in a rainforest and the island Tobacco Caye.

Plymouth-based Royal Marines hone fighting skills in South American junglePLYMOUTH-based Royal Marines have been honing their jungle-fighting skills in South America - while carefully avoiding becoming lunch to some of its more reptilian inhabitants.
42 Commando's Lima Company recently carried out the specialist warfare training in Belize to prove themselves as the lead-standby for extreme environment combat troops.
At its peak there were 160 Marines under training, including elements from across 3Commando Brigade HQ in Plymouth, 24 Royal Engineers in North Devon and 539 Assault Squadron Royal Marines in Devonport Naval Base, Plymouth. They were joined by Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and 8 Commando Battery Royal Artillery.
It afforded the Marines to prove they have what it takes when they moved through a crocodile- infested river with only their eyeballs and rifle breaching the waterline.

Snorkeling & Spearfishing Belize, 7min. Snorkeling around Mexico Rocks, Hol Chan reef, and the eastern coast of Ambergris. Went out with Daniel in the reefs north of San Pedro for some excellent spearfishing.

Belize Dat: Noob-a Diving, 4.5min. A group of noobs attempt to breathe underwater at Cypress Tunnel near San Pedro in Belize. Nurse sharks are neat.